Superstorm Sandy

Five years after Sandy, the city and owners have begun addressing vulnerabilities throughout the sprawling Food Distribution Center, but it remains unclear how resilient the area would be if forced to confront another natural disaster head-on.

‘Five years in, New York still has work to do before the region can claim to be truly resilient or able to withstand a major hurricane or weather event. But we have learned so much about resilient design, and other cities can in turn learn from us.’

In places like Sheepshead Bay, people who repaired their own homes after the storm but didn’t take steps to deal with new flooding risks may have to leave for as long as six months so the structures can be elevated.

As we approach the third anniversary of the devastating storm, a veteran housing policy expert says it’s time to revisit the lessons learned—and changes made—since then. If another disaster strikes, will the residents of affordable apartments stay safe?

For the low-income communities who live along a waterway home to heavy industry and recovering wildlife, Exxon’s settlement with New Jersey has the potential to right old wrongs. But there’s ongoing debate about the company’s plans to clean up decades of pollution.

The state came through with $100 million for capital work. The feds are sending $3 billion for Sandy repairs and resiliency work. Now, if the authority can find another $18 billion, they’re in business.

Community organizations stepped in where government failed after the 2012 storm. Now, the authors write, the de Blasio administration should partner with local groups to develop plans for the next weather emergency.

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